Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

In forensic practice, it may be necessary to identify the source of the tissue at crime scenes and elsewhere. We examined the physiological presence of myosin light chain 1 (MLC1), a structural protein in striated muscle, and designed a method that can identify human skeletal muscle from tissue fragments with very small sample consumption by quantitative analysis of MLC1. The MLC1 content in human muscles was compared with that in 13 different animal muscles and human organs, excluding horse muscles. The mean MLC1 content in the investigated iliopsoas muscles was 0.89 mg/g wet weight. For species identification, it is possible to differentiate human muscles from the muscles of other animal species except for horse. The MLC1 content in various human organs is very low, and differentiation between muscles and other organs is easy. The results showed that this method is highly sensitive, has good organ and species specificity, and is thought to be useful for the preliminary analysis of tissue fragments.

DOI： 10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112778

PubMed

researchmap

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

Lacosamide is a third-generation antiepileptic drug that selectively promotes the slow inactivation of sodium channels. Herein, we report a case of fatal lacosamide poisoning following an autopsy. A female in her fifties was found dead in her living room. She had been diagnosed with epilepsy and had been prescribed lacosamide, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and perampanel. At the scene, empty blister packs containing a total of 4950 mg of lacosamide were found in her bag. Additionally, two tablets of a commercially available sleeping medication containing diphenhydramine were missing. A medicolegal autopsy was conducted two days later. The stomach contained 120 mL of a slightly viscid fluid, which appeared powdery and suspended. Qualitative analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detected lacosamide, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine, while perampanel and diphenhydramine were not found. The blood lacosamide concentration was 70.1-86.8 µg/mL. These values were higher than the current reference range of lacosamide and comparable to or higher than those of previous fatal cases. Carbamazepine and lamotrigine levels were within or below the therapeutic range. Based on these findings, we determined that the cause of her death was lacosamide poisoning.

DOI： 10.1016/j.legalmed.2025.102658

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

It is reported that immunostaining of Myoglobin (Mb) is useful for forensic diagnosis. In this study, we investigated the condition of fixation of striated muscle in 10 % neutral-buffered formalin to obtain appropriate stationarity of Mb in immunostaining. Firstly, criteria for staining intensity and definition of the stainability of examined were determined for sheep muscle tissue. Sheep myocardial tissue was fixed using 10 % neutral-buffered formalin under the 21 different conditions based on combinations of the following: three ratios of volume of formalin (mL) to weight of myocardium (g) (RFM) of 1, 4 or 9, 7 durations of fixation (DF) of 0.5, 3 or 6 h, and 1, 2, 5 or 7 days. Secondly, detection of Mb diffused form skeletal muscle from autopsy cases into formalin during fixation were confirmed by ELISA. Finally, the evaluation of stainability of Mb of striated muscle in routine autopsy examinations was confirmed using sheep staining intensity standards. From this experimental investigation, it has been demonstrated that the most suitable formalin fixation condition for using Mb staining in forensic diagnosis is RFM4 with a fixation time of at least DF 3 h up to 1 day. It was evident that staining intensity decreases with fixation durations exceeding 2 days, irrespective of the RFM. Thus, the fixation time was deemed the most influential factor affecting the staining properties of Mb staining in skeletal muscle tissue. When conducting Mb staining using striated muscle as an evaluation sample, particular attention should be paid to the fixation time.

DOI： 10.1016/j.legalmed.2024.102496

PubMed

researchmap

Authorship：Lead author   Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本法医病理学会  

researchmap

Language：Japanese   Publisher：岡山医学会  

researchmap

Other Link： https://search.jamas.or.jp/default/link?pub_year=2022&ichushi_jid=J00175&link_issn=&doc_id=20220808080008&doc_link_id=10.4044%2Fjoma.134.108&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.4044%2Fjoma.134.108&type=J-STAGE&icon=https%3A%2F%2Fjk04.jamas.or.jp%2Ficon%2F00007_3.gif

Event date： 2023

researchmap

Event date： 2020.12

Language：Japanese  

researchmap

Event date： 2020.8

Language：Japanese  

researchmap

Event date： 2020.8

Language：Japanese  

researchmap

Event date： 2020.8

Language：Japanese  

researchmap